It was been almost a quarter of a century since the pupils of The Terra Sancta Girls School in Bethlehem took part in a diary project documenting the grim realities of life in the West Bank during the Second Intifada. Their words inspired a theatre show, The Bethlehem Diaries, directed by Raeda Ghazaleh and Zoe Hunter, who have now collaborated with Grid Iron’s Ben Harrison on an updated version, Bethlehem Calling, incorporating equally desperate diary entries from young Palestinian women in 2024.

There is anger, as one might expect, but also frustration, bewilderment, grief and some escapist play from the girls whose eloquent words are beautifully honoured by actors Hana Greer, Yolanda Mitchell and Aisha Lawal. Like their western counterparts, these schoolgirls love the Backstreet Boys and aspire to be pilots and painters but their daily life is dominated by the cruelty and humiliation of checkpoints, patrols, house searches and, in one tragic case, the fatal shooting of a classmate’s sister.

Their hopes and fears are soundtracked by a lithe live band comprising former Franz Ferdinand drummer Paul Thomson, Lewis Cook of Free Love, Chizu Anucha, and Firas Khnaisser joined in person and remotely by the Palestinian Arab Orthodox Scout pipers of Beit Jala, some piping in via livestream as their visas for this Celtic Connections show were refused. Victory is snatched, however, as their remote appearance was arguably a more powerful reminder of the determination through adversity which runs through this cathartic show and was manifested on the stage by two of the original letter writers, theatre-maker Mirna Sakhleh and musician Hala Jaber. 

Bethlehem Calling reviewed at Tramway, Glasgow as part of Celtic Connections.